The
first amendment to the Constitution of the United Sates declares in part, “Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech.” Well, as Bob Dylan
once sang, the times they are a changing.
Last
April 23, Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom
Foundation met with ranking members of the Air Force. His concern was Section
2.11 of the publication titled “Air Force Culture, Air Force Standards.” The
section reads, “Leaders at all levels must balance constitutional protections
for an individual’s free exercise of religion…and the constitutional
prohibition against governmental establishment of religion.” Weinstein wants
the first part of that statement scrapped.
Here’s
why. He said that U.S. troops who share their Christian faith are guilty (or
should be) of sedition and treason and should be punished by the hundreds if
necessary to stave off a “tidal wave” of Christian evangelism. Weinstein told
Fox News that “Someone needs to be punished for this [evangelism]. Until the
Air Force or Army or Navy or Marine Corps punishes a member of the military for
unconstitutional proselytizing and oppression, we will never have the ability
to stop this horrible, horrendous, dehumanizing behavior.”
That’s
right, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in the military is “dehumanizing
behavior.” In the Fox News interview Weinstein compared leading someone to
faith in Christ with rape. “It is a version of being spiritually raped” he
said. “When those people [Christians] are in uniform” and they share their
faith “they are creating tyranny, oppression, degradation, humiliation and
horrible, horrible pain upon members of the military.” Currently evangelism is
against military regulations the Pentagon told Fox News, although it is not
enforced.
Tony
Perkins, president of the Family Research Council told Fox News that he was
stunned that military leaders were meeting with Weinstein. “Why would military
leadership be meeting with one of the most rabid atheists in America to discuss
religious freedom” Perkins asked. “That’s like consulting with China on how to
improve human rights.” Well, maybe that’s not far behind.
Weinstein
calls witnessing about Christ “a national security threat…it is sedition and
treason…It should be punished.” Weinstein’s proposal, if enacted would make
Christian military personnel enemies of the state. Ron Crews, the executive
director for the Chaplain Alliance for religious Liberty states that
Weinstein’s proposal would “significantly impact religious liberty. Lt. Gen
(ret) William Boykin said, “If chaplains and other personnel are censored from
offering the full solace of the Gospel, there is no religious freedom of the
military.”
So,
it may soon be possible if you are in the armed services to face a court
martial as an enemy of the state for sharing your faith as a Christian.
If this occurs guess who is next in line for prosecution? What can be done?
Pray, share your faith, love people even your enemies, make a commitment to
love God, follow Christ and contribute to your church. And call or write to
your representatives in the U.S. House and the Senate. Let your voice be heard
before it is silenced.
Php 1:28 So don't let your opponents intimidate you in any way. This is God's way of showing them that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved.
ReplyDeletePhp 3:18 For there are those, of whom I have given you word before, and do so now with sorrow, who are haters of the cross of Christ;
Php 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose god is the stomach, and whose glory is in their shame, whose minds are fixed on the things of the earth.
Php 3:20 For our country is in heaven; from where the Saviour for whom we are waiting will come, even the Lord Jesus Christ: